Christina Aguilera isn't the only one who likes to get dirty.
Almost 1,000 people are expected to gather at St. Rita's Lane near South Lake Village this Saturday to play in the mud. Another 1,000 are expected to come watch.
The occasion is Oozfest, a volleyball tournament battled knee-deep in mud and a UB tradition that is decades old.
What started out 20 years ago as an opportunity for students to unwind before finals, Oozfest has grown into the largest tournament of its kind in the country, according to Ron Sigeti, the graduate assistant to the University Student Alumni Board, which hosts the event.
All 128 slots for teams are filled this year, leaving 17 teams on the waiting list, Sigeti said.
The festivities this year will include an opening ceremony, a duck hunt, a three-legged race and a tug-of-war, as well as a dizzy bat race and a game of leapfrog.
"All in a giant mud pit," Sigeti said.
The teams of six to eight players consist of students, faculty, citizens of Buffalo and Amherst, and UB alumni from around the country and Canada.
"We even have a team coming from Washington, D.C.," Sigeti said. "They started playing when they were students, and they come back every year."
Marie Roma, a junior business major, played Oozfest in her freshman year. She said she had a great time, despite the mess.
"It's a pain to wash off afterwards, and all the clothes you wear just go straight to the garbage," she said. "But, it was still fun to form a team and do something different."
Undoubtedly, the mess is part of the fun, and a lot of preparation goes into assuring the mess will be there. Fire trucks will arrive at the pit Friday night and Saturday morning to soak the field using fire hoses.
Members of the USAB will be performing some hands-on preparation as well.
"On Wednesday night, the USAB will be rock picking to remove sharp rocks to protect players and help with safety," co-chairperson of Oozefest Rachel Nashett said.
If this years rock-picking session is like those of past years, rocks won't be the only things they find.
"During rock picking, you find shoes and clothes that were lost the year before," she said.
Nashett said this happens every year, even though players go to extremes to avoid it.
"People duct tape their shoes to their pants so they don't lose them," she said.
Sponsors include Kaplan, The Princeton Review, Kahunaville and Dreamworks among many others. Oozfest winners will receive large gift certificates, and there will be plenty of novelty items and smaller gift certificates to go around to winners of special events. Each player will also receive an Oozfest tee shirt designed by a UB student, Nashett said.
Teams pay a registration fee of $120, the proceeds of which will go to the USAB's scholarship fund for UB students, Nashett said.
The fun begins at 8 a.m., and continues until 4 p.m. WKSE Kiss 98.5 will be there to M.C. the event and keep the crowd moving with plenty of music. Tim Horton's will be providing players with breakfast and lunch, Sigeti said.
Though it is too late to join a team, volunteers are still needed to help out, and will be accepted until Friday. Being on the field isn't absolutely necessary to get involved and have a good time.
"Come watch your friends and colleagues play in the mud and laugh at them. It's really quite comical to watch," Nashett said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
